U.S. patent application number 15/895360 was filed with the patent office on 2019-08-15 for management of multiple fan modules.
The applicant listed for this patent is QUANTA COMPUTER INC.. Invention is credited to Shuen-Hung WANG, Chun-Ching YU.
Application Number | 20190249678 15/895360 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 62874747 |
Filed Date | 2019-08-15 |
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United States Patent
Application |
20190249678 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
YU; Chun-Ching ; et
al. |
August 15, 2019 |
MANAGEMENT OF MULTIPLE FAN MODULES
Abstract
The present disclosure provides a system and method for
controlling a plurality of cooling fan modules using a management
controller and a multiplex switch. The multiplex switch connects
the management controller to the plurality of cooling fan modules.
The multiplex switch can enable the management controller to select
a specific cooling fan module from the plurality of cooling fan
modules. Once the specific cooling fan module is selected, the
multiplex switch can connect to the specific cooling fan module,
enable the management controller to monitor operating
characteristics of the specific cooling fan module, and control
power or current being delivered to the specific cooling fan
module.
Inventors: |
YU; Chun-Ching; (Taoyuan
City, TW) ; WANG; Shuen-Hung; (Taoyuan City,
TW) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
QUANTA COMPUTER INC. |
Taoyuan City |
|
TW |
|
|
Family ID: |
62874747 |
Appl. No.: |
15/895360 |
Filed: |
February 13, 2018 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
G06F 1/206 20130101;
F04D 27/004 20130101; H05K 7/20718 20130101; F04D 27/001 20130101;
F04D 25/166 20130101; F04D 27/005 20130101; H05K 7/20836 20130101;
G05B 15/02 20130101 |
International
Class: |
F04D 27/00 20060101
F04D027/00; F04D 25/16 20060101 F04D025/16; G05B 15/02 20060101
G05B015/02 |
Claims
1. A computer-implemented method for controlling a plurality of
cooling fan modules of a server system, comprising: selecting, by a
management controller of the server system, a specific cooling fan
module from the plurality of cooling fan modules via a multiplex
switch of the server system; connecting to the specific cooling fan
module via the multiplex switch; monitoring operation
characteristics of the specific cooling fan module; and controlling
power or current being delivered to the specific cooling fan module
based at least upon the operation characteristics of the specific
cooling fan module.
2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, comprising:
retrieving operation and maintenance history of the plurality of
cooling fan modules; and controlling power or current being
delivered to the specific cooling fan module based at least upon
the operation characteristics of the specific cooling fan module,
and the operation and maintenance history of the specific cooling
fan module.
3. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the
management controller is connected to the multiplex switch via
three connection links including a fan selection link, a fan
monitoring link, and a fan power control link.
4. The computer-implemented method of claim 3, wherein the
multiplex switch includes a first selection logic chip, a second
selection logic chip, a first multiplexer and a second multiplexer,
and wherein the first selection logic chip and the second selection
logic chip are connected to the controller via the fan selection
link, the first multiplexer is connected to the controller via the
fan monitoring link, and the second multiplexer is connected to the
controller via the fan power control link.
5. The computer-implemented method of claim 4, wherein the
multiplex switch further comprises a plurality of MOSFETs, each of
the plurality of MOSFETs being connected to a corresponding one of
the plurality of cooling fan modules.
6. The computer-implemented method of claim 5, wherein connecting
to the specific cooling fan module comprises switching on a
corresponding MOSFET connected to the specific cooling fan
module.
7. The computer-implemented method of claim 3, wherein the
management controller is further connected to the multiplex switch
via a shift-register-clock link; and wherein selecting, by the
management controller of the server system, the specific cooling
fan module comprises selecting the specific cooling fan module via
the fan selection link, and the shift-register-clock link.
8. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein controlling
power or current being delivered to the specific cooling fan module
comprises sending a pulse-width-modulation (PWM) signal to the
specific cooling fan module.
9. A system, comprising: a processor; a management controller; a
multiplex switch; and a computer-readable medium storing
instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the system
to perform operations comprising: selecting, by the management
controller of the server system, a specific cooling fan module from
a plurality of cooling fan modules via the multiplex switch;
connecting to the specific cooling fan module via the multiplex
switch; monitoring operation characteristics of the specific
cooling fan module; and controlling power or current being
delivered to the specific cooling fan module based at least upon
the operation characteristics of the specific cooling fan
module.
10. The system of claim 9, wherein the computer-readable medium
storing instructions that, when executed by the processor, further
cause the system to perform operations comprising: retrieving
operation and maintenance history of the plurality of cooling fan
modules; and controlling power or current being delivered to the
specific cooling fan module based at least upon the operation
characteristics of the specific cooling fan module, and the
operation and maintenance history of the specific cooling fan
module.
11. The system of claim 9, wherein the management controller is
connected to the multiplex switch via three connection links
including a fan selection link, a fan monitoring link, and a fan
power control link.
12. The system of claim 11, wherein the multiplex switch includes a
first selection logic chip, a second selection logic chip, a first
multiplexer and a second multiplexer, and wherein the first
selection logic chip and the second selection logic chip are
connected to the controller via the fan selection link, the first
multiplexer is connected to the controller via the fan monitoring
link, and the second multiplexer is connected to the controller via
the fan power control link.
13. The system of claim 12, wherein the multiplex switch further
comprises a plurality of MOSFETs, each of the plurality of MOSFETs
being connected to a corresponding one of the plurality of cooling
fan modules.
14. The system of claim 13, wherein connecting to the specific
cooling fan module comprises switching on a corresponding MOSFET
connected to the specific cooling fan module.
15. The system of claim 11, wherein the management controller is
further connected to the multiplex switch via a
shift-register-clock link; and wherein selecting, by the management
controller of the server system, the specific cooling fan module
comprises selecting the specific cooling fan module via the fan
selection link, and the shift-register-clock link.
16. The system of claim 9, wherein controlling power or current
being delivered to the specific cooling fan module comprises
sending a pulse-width-modulation (PWM) signal to the specific
cooling fan module.
17. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium including
instructions that, when executed by at least one processor of a
server system, cause the server system to perform operations
comprising: selecting, by a management controller of the server
system, a specific cooling fan module from a plurality of cooling
fan modules via a multiplex switch of the server system; connecting
to the specific cooling fan module via the multiplex switch;
monitoring operation characteristics of the specific cooling fan
module; and controlling power or current being delivered to the
specific cooling fan module based at least upon the operation
characteristics of the specific cooling fan module.
18. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim
17, wherein the instructions, when executed by at least one
processor of a server system, further cause the server system to
perform operations comprising: retrieving operation and maintenance
history of the plurality of cooling fan modules; and controlling
power or current being delivered to the specific cooling fan module
based at least upon the operation characteristics of the specific
cooling fan module, and the operation and maintenance history of
the specific cooling fan module.
19. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim
17, wherein the management controller is connected to the multiplex
switch via three connection links including a fan selection link, a
fan monitoring link, and a fan power control link.
20. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim
19, wherein the multiplex switch includes a first selection logic
chip, a second selection logic chip, a first multiplexer and a
second multiplexer, and wherein the first selection logic chip and
the second selection logic chip are connected to the controller via
the fan selection link, the first multiplexer is connected to the
controller via the fan monitoring link, and the second multiplexer
is connected to the controller via the fan power control link.
Description
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0001] The disclosure generally relates to temperature management
in a computing system.
BACKGROUND
[0002] Modern computing systems comprise numerous electronic
components such as CPUs, GPUs, RAM, etc. As computing systems
become faster and more powerful (e.g., with smaller form factors
and faster CPUs or GPUS), more heat is generated within the
systems. Without adequate cooling, overheating may occur, and cause
physical damage to components within the computing systems; and
sometimes even lead to system failures and data losses.
[0003] Cooling fans are widely used to remove excessive heat from
computing systems by actively exhausting accumulated hot air, thus
maintaining suitable temperatures within the computing systems.
Therefore, it is important to effectively control the cooling fans
to keep internal temperatures of the computing systems within a
certain range.
[0004] In conventional systems, a baseboard management controller
(BMC) is typically used to control cooling fans by directly
connecting the BMC to a control pin of each cooling fan. However,
cooling fans inside a computing system can have various distances
from the BMC. Further, this conventional control method requires a
large number of wires to connect the BMC to the various cooling
fans present in a conventional system.
[0005] Thus, there is a need to control cooling fan modules in a
computing system with simpler and more efficient solutions.
SUMMARY
[0006] Systems and methods, in accordance with various examples of
the present disclosure, provide a solution to the above-mentioned
problems by controlling a plurality of cooling fan modules using a
controller (e.g., BMC or rack management controller (RMC)) and a
multiplex switch. The multiplex switch connects the controller to
the plurality of cooling fan modules. The multiplex switch can
enable the controller to select a specific cooling fan module from
the plurality of cooling fan modules. Once the specific cooling fan
module is selected, the multiplex switch can connect to the
specific cooling fan module; enable the controller to monitor
operating characteristics (e.g., speed and error message etc.) of
the specific cooling fan module; and control power or current being
delivered to the specific cooling fan module.
[0007] In some examples, the controller can effectively control the
plurality of cooling fan modules via three connection links and the
multiplex switch. The minimum three connection links include a fan
selection link, a fan monitoring link, and a fan power control
link.
[0008] In some implementations, the multiplex switch includes a
first selection logic chip, a second selection logic chip, a first
multiplexer, and a second multiplexer. The first and second
selection logic chips are connected to the controller via the fan
selection link; the first multiplexer is connected to the
controller via the fan monitoring link; and the second multiplexer
is connected to the controller via the fan power control link.
[0009] In some examples, the multiplex switch can receive serial
inputs from the controller, and provide parallel-output-shift
control of the plurality of cooling fan modules. For example, the
multiplex switch can enable the controller to select a specific
cooling fan within a predetermined range of time, and then connect
and control the selected cooling fan.
[0010] In some implementations, the multiplex switch includes a
plurality of MOSFETs. Each of the plurality of MOSFETs is connected
to a corresponding one of the plurality of cooling fan modules. The
controller can select and connect to a specific cooling fan module
by switching on a corresponding MOSFET of the specific cooling fan
module, via the fan selection link. Once the corresponding MOSFET
is switched on, the controller can directly or indirectly monitor
operating characteristics (e.g., speed and error message etc.) of
the specific cooling fan module, and control power or current being
delivered to the specific cooling fan module. For example, the
controller can control power or current being delivered to the
specific cooling fan module by sending a pulse-width-modulation
(PWM) signal to the specific cooling fan module.
[0011] In some implementations, operation and maintenance history
of the plurality of cooling fan modules can also be collected and
stored on the server system. The controller can then use the
operation and maintenance history of the plurality of cooling fan
modules for effectively controlling the plurality of cooling fan
modules. For example, the controller can control power or current
being delivered to a specific cooling fan module based upon
operating characteristics and/or the operation and maintenance
history of the specific cooling fan module.
[0012] In accordance with one aspect of the present disclosure, a
computer-implemented method for controlling a plurality of cooling
fan modules of a server system, includes: selecting a specific
cooling fan module from the plurality of cooling fan modules via a
multiplex switch of the server system; connecting to the specific
cooling fan module via the multiplex switch; monitoring operation
characteristics of the specific cooling fan module; retrieving
operation and maintenance characteristics of the specific cooling
fan module; and controlling power or current being delivered to the
specific cooling fan module based at least upon the operation
characteristics and/or the operation and maintenance history of the
specific cooling fan module.
[0013] In accordance with another aspect of the present disclosure,
a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing
instructions is provided. The instructions, when executed by a
processor, cause the processor to perform operations including:
selecting a specific cooling fan module from a plurality of cooling
fan modules via a multiplex switch of a server system; connecting
to the specific cooling fan module via the multiplex switch;
monitoring operation characteristics of the specific cooling fan
module; retrieving operation and maintenance characteristics of the
specific cooling fan module; and controlling power or current being
delivered to the specific cooling fan module based at least upon
the operation characteristics and/or the operation and maintenance
history of the specific cooling fan module.
[0014] According to some configurations, operation and maintenance
history of the plurality of cooling fan modules can be stored on
memory, hard drive, or a flash memory device of the server system.
The operation and maintenance history of the plurality of cooling
fan modules can be accessed by BMC, RMC, or a central processing
unit (CPU) on the server system. The flash memory device can be any
storage medium configured to store program instructions or data for
a period of time. According to some examples, the flash storage
device can be a flash drive, a random access memory (RAM), a
non-volatile random-access memory (NVRAM), an electrically erasable
programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), or a mailbox register.
[0015] Additional features and advantages of the disclosure will be
set forth in the description which follows, and in part, will be
obvious from the description, or can be learned by practice of the
herein disclosed principles. The features and advantages of the
disclosure can be realized and obtained by means of the instruments
and combinations particularly pointed out in the appended claims.
These and other features of the disclosure will become more fully
apparent from the following description and appended claims, or can
be learned by the practice of the principles set forth herein.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0016] In order to describe the manner in which the above-recited
and other advantages and features of the disclosure can be
obtained, a more particular description of the principles briefly
described above will be rendered by reference to specific examples
thereof which are illustrated in the appended drawings. These
drawings depict only example aspects of the disclosure and are not
therefore to be considered to be limiting of its scope. The
principles herein are described and explained with additional
specificity and detail through the use of the accompanying drawings
in which:
[0017] FIG. 1A is a schematic block diagram illustrating an
exemplary system in a datacenter having multiple cooling fan
modules, in accordance with an implementation of the present
disclosure;
[0018] FIG. 1B is a schematic block diagram illustrating an
exemplary system in FIG. 1A that includes a multiplex switch
connected to multiple cooling fan modules, in accordance with an
implementation of the present disclosure;
[0019] FIG. 1C is a schematic block diagram illustrating an
exemplary multiplex switch in FIG. 1B that includes selection logic
chips and multiplexes connected to multiple cooling fan modules, in
accordance with an implementation of the present disclosure;
[0020] FIG. 1D is a schematic block diagram illustrating an
exemplary system in FIG. 1A that enables a BMC to select a specific
cooling fan module from a plurality of cooling fan modules via a
fan selection link and a shift-register-clock link, in accordance
with an implementation of the present disclosure;
[0021] FIG. 1E is a timing diagram illustrating an exemplary system
in FIG. 1D that enables a BMC to select a specific cooling fan
module from a plurality of cooling fan modules via an 8-bit serial
input and a shift register clock, in accordance with an
implementation of the present disclosure;
[0022] FIG. 2 is an exemplary method for effectively controlling
cooling fan modules, in accordance with an implementation of the
present disclosure; and
[0023] FIGS. 3 and 4 illustrate exemplary systems, in accordance
with various examples of the present disclosure.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0024] The present disclosure can be embodied in many different
forms. Representative embodiments are shown in the drawings, and
will herein be described in detail. The present disclosure is an
example or illustration of the principles of the present
disclosure, and is not intended to limit the broad aspects of the
disclosure to the embodiments illustrated. To that extent, elements
and limitations that are disclosed, for example, in the Abstract,
Summary, and Detailed Description sections, but not explicitly set
forth in the claims, should not be incorporated into the claims,
singly or collectively, by implication, inference, or otherwise.
For purposes of the present detailed description, unless
specifically disclaimed, the singular includes the plural and vice
versa; and the word "including" means "including without
limitation." Moreover, words of approximation, such as "about,"
"almost," "substantially," "approximately," and the like, can be
used herein to mean "at," "near," or "nearly at," or "within 3-5%
of," or "within acceptable manufacturing tolerances," or any
logical combination thereof, for example.
[0025] Various examples of the present disclosure provide systems
and methods for controlling a plurality of cooling fan modules
using a controller (e.g., BMC or rack management controller (RMC))
and a multiplex switch. The multiplex switch connects the
controller to the plurality of cooling fan modules. The multiplex
switch can enable the controller to select a specific cooling fan
module from the plurality of cooling fan modules. Once the specific
cooling fan module is selected, the multiplex switch can connect to
the specific cooling fan module; enable the controller to monitor
operating characteristics (e.g., speed and error message etc.) of
the specific cooling fan module; and control power or current being
delivered to the specific cooling fan module.
[0026] FIG. 1A is a schematic block diagram illustrating an
exemplary server system 100A in a datacenter having multiple
cooling fan modules, in accordance with an implementation of the
present disclosure. In this example, the server system 100A
includes at least one microprocessor or processor 104, one or more
cooling modules 110, a main memory (MEM) 111, at least one power
supply unit (PSU) 102 that receives an AC power from an AC power
supply 101, and provide power to various components of the server
system 100A, such as the processor 104, north bridge (NB) logic
106, PCIe slots 160, south bridge (SB) logic 108, storage device
109, ISA slots 150, PCI slots 170, a multiplex switch 112, and a
management controller or device 103. After being powered on, the
server system 100A is configured to load software application from
memory, a computer storage device, or an external storage device to
perform various operations. The storage device 109 is structured
into logical blocks that are available to an operating system and
applications of the server system 100A. The storage device 109 is
configured to retain server data even when the server system 100A
is powered off.
[0027] In FIG. 1A, the memory 111 is coupled to the processor 104
via the NB logic 106. The memory 111 may include, but is not
limited to, dynamic random access memory (DRAM), double data rate
DRAM (DDR DRAM), static RAM (SRAM), or other types of suitable
memory. The memory 111 can be configured to store firmware data of
the server system 100A. In some configurations, firmware data can
be stored on the storage device 109.
[0028] In some implementations, the server system 100A can further
comprise a flash storage device. The flash storage device can be a
flash drive, a random access memory (RAM), a non-volatile
random-access memory (NVRAM), or an electrically erasable
programmable read-only memory (EEPROM). The flash storage device
can be configured to store the system configurations such as
firmware data.
[0029] The processor 104 can be a central processing unit (CPU)
configured to execute program instructions for specific functions.
For example, during a booting process, the processor 104 can access
firmware data stored in the management device 103 or the flash
storage device, and execute the BIOS 105 to initialize the server
system 100A. After the booting process, the processor 104 can
execute an operating system in order to perform and manage specific
tasks for the server system 100A.
[0030] In some configurations, the processor 104 can be multi-core
processors, each of which is coupled together through a CPU bus
connected to the NB logic 106. In some configurations, the NB logic
106 can be integrated into the processor 104. The NB logic 106 can
also be connected to a plurality of peripheral component
interconnect express (PCIe) slots 160 and an SB logic 108
(optional). The plurality of PCIe slots 160 can be used for
connections and buses such as PCI Express .times.1, USB 2.0, SMBus,
SIM card, future extension for another PCIe lane, 1.5 V and 3.3 V
power, and wires to diagnostics LEDs on the server system 100A's
chassis.
[0031] In system 100A, the NB logic 106 and the SB logic 108 are
connected by a peripheral component interconnect (PCI) Bus 107. The
PCI Bus 107 can support functions on the processor 104 but in a
standardized format that is independent of any of the processor
104's native buses. The PCI Bus 107 can be further connected to a
plurality of PCI slots 170 (e.g., a PCI slot 171). Devices connect
to the PCI Bus 107 may appear to a bus controller (not shown) to be
connected directly to a CPU bus, assigned addresses in the
processor 104's address space, and synchronized to a single bus
clock. PCI cards that can be used in the plurality of PCI slots 170
include, but are not limited to, network interface cards (NICs),
sound cards, modems, TV tuner cards, disk controllers, video cards,
small computer system interface (SCSI) adapters, and personal
computer memory card international association (PCMCIA) cards.
[0032] The SB logic 108 can couple the PCI Bus 107 to a plurality
of expansion cards or ISA slots 150 (e.g., an ISA slot 151) via an
expansion bus. The expansion bus can be a bus used for
communications between the SB logic 108 and peripheral devices, and
may include, but is not limited to, an industry standard
architecture (ISA) bus, PC/104 bus, low pin count bus, extended ISA
(EISA) bus, universal serial bus (USB), integrated drive
electronics (IDE) bus, or any other suitable bus that can be used
for data communications for peripheral devices.
[0033] In this example, BIOS 105 can be any program instructions or
firmware configured to initiate and identify various components of
the server system 100A. The BIOS is an important system component
that is responsible for initializing and testing hardware
components of a corresponding server system. The BIOS can provide
an abstraction layer for the hardware components thereby providing
a consistent way for applications and operating systems to interact
with a peripheral device such as a keyboard, a display, and other
input/output devices.
[0034] In system 100A, the SB logic 108 is further coupled to the
management device 103 that is connected to the at least one PSU 102
and the multiplex switch 112. In some implementations, the
management device 103 can be a baseboard management controller
(BMC) or a rack management controller (RMC).
[0035] The management device 103 (e.g., BMC) can communicate with
the cooling modules 110 through the multiplex switch 112. The
multiplex switch 112 can enable the management device 103 to select
and connect to a specific cooling module from the cooling modules
110, monitor operating characteristics of the specific cooling
module, and control power or current being delivered to the
specific cooling module. For example, the management device 103 can
control power or current being delivered to the specific cooling
module by sending a pulse-width-modulation (PWM) signal to the
specific cooling module based upon the operating characteristics of
the specific cooling module.
[0036] In some configurations, the management device 103 is
connected to the multiplex switch 112 via three connection
links--including a fan selection link, a fan monitoring link, and a
fan power control link. An example of this configuration is further
illustrated in FIGS. 1B and 1C. In some implementations, the
management device 103 is further connected to the multiplex switch
112 via a shift-register-clock link. An example of this
configuration is further illustrated in FIG. 1D.
[0037] In the example of FIG. 1D, discussed in greater detail
below, the multiplex switch 112 can receive serial inputs from the
management device 103 and provide parallel-output-shift control of
the cooling modules 110. For example, the multiplex switch 112 can
enable the management device 103 to select and connect to a
specific cooling module within a predetermined range of time, and
then control the selected cooling module.
[0038] In some implementations, the management device 103 can
monitor and store operation and maintenance history of the cooling
modules 110 on the server system 100A. The management device 103
can use the operation and maintenance history of the plurality of
cooling fan modules for smartly and effectively controlling the
cooling modules 110 (e.g., 110-0, 110-1, 110-2, 110-3 . . . 110-N,
and 110-N+1 illustrated in FIG. 1B). For example, the management
device 103 can control power or current being delivered to a
specific cooling module based upon operating characteristics and/or
the operation and maintenance history of the specific cooling
module.
[0039] FIG. 1B is a schematic block diagram 100B illustrating a
portion of an exemplary system 100A in FIG. 1A that includes the
multiplex switch 112 connected to multiple cooling fan modules 110,
in accordance with an implementation of the present disclosure. In
this example, the multiplex switch 112 is connected to the BMC 103
via three connection links, i.e., Fan_Tech_Meter_Host,
Fan_PWM_Host, and Fan_Select, and connected to the cooling fan
modules (i.e., 110-0, 110-1, 110-2, 110-3 . . . 110-N, and 110-N+1)
in parallel.
[0040] The multiplex switch 112 in FIG. 1B is further illustrated
in FIG. 1C. In this example, the multiplex switch 112 comprises a
first selection logic chip 112-3, a second selection logic chip
112-4, a first multiplexer 112-1, and a second multiplexer 112-2.
The first and second selection logic chips 112-3 and 112-4, are
connected to the BMC 103 via the fan selection link, Fan_Select.
The first multiplexer 112-1 is connected to the BMC 103 via the fan
monitoring link, Fan_Tech_Meter_Host. And, the second multiplexer
112-2 is connected to the BMC 103 via the fan power control link,
Fan_PWM_Host.
[0041] As illustrated in FIG. 1C, the BMC 103 can select and
connect to a specific cooling fan module via the fan selection
link, Fan_Select, and the first and second selection logic chips
112-3 and 112-4. Once the specific cooling fan module is selected,
the BMC 103 can collect operating characteristics (e.g., speed and
error message etc.) of the specific cooling fan module via the
first multiplexer 112-1, and the fan monitoring link,
Fan_Tech_Meter_Host; and further control power or current being
delivered to the specific cooling fan module via the fan power
control link, Fan_PWM_Host, and the second multiplexer 112-2.
[0042] FIG. 1D is a schematic block diagram 100D illustrating an
exemplary system in FIG. 1A that enables a BMC to select a specific
cooling fan module from the cooling fan modules (i.e., 110-0,
110-1, 110-2, 110-3, 110-4, 110-5 . . . 110-6 and 110-7) via a
Fan_Select link and a shift-register-clock link. In this example,
the BMC 103 is connected to serial inputs of exemplary multiplexers
112-3 and 112-4, and connected to shift-register-clock inputs of
the exemplary multiplexers 112-3 and 112-4. The exemplary
multiplexers 112-3 and 112-4 are connected to the cooling fan
modules (i.e., 110-0, 110-1, 110-2, 110-3, 110-4, 110-5 . . . 110-6
and 110-7) via a plurality of MOSFETs 113.
[0043] In this example, each of the plurality of MOSFETs 113 is
connected to a corresponding one of the cooling fan modules (i.e.,
110-0, 110-1, 110-2, 110-3, 110-4, 110-5 . . . 110-6 and 110-7).
The BMC 103 can select and connect to a specific cooling fan module
by switching on a corresponding MOSFET of the specific cooling fan
module, via the fan selection link, FAN_SEL_SER. Once the
corresponding MOSFET is switched on, the controller can monitor
operating characteristics (e.g., speed and error message etc.) of
the specific cooling fan module, and control power or current being
delivered to the specific cooling fan module.
[0044] FIG. 1E is a timing diagram 100E illustrating an exemplary
system in FIG. 1D that enables a BMC to select a specific cooling
fan module from the multiple cooling fan modules via an 8-bit
serial input and a shift register clock, in accordance with an
implementation of the present disclosure. In this example, an
output Q.sub.A of the multiplexer 112-2 is switched to "high," in
response to the fan selection "SER" is switched to "high" and a
subsequent first "high" shift-register-clock, RCLK. The "high"
output Q.sub.A can switch on a corresponding MOSFET of a first
cooling fan module 110-0 in FIG. 1D. Then, the BMC 103 can monitor
operating characteristics (e.g., speed and error message etc.) of
the first cooling fan module 110-0, and control power or current
being delivered to the first cooling fan module 110-0.
[0045] In response to the fan selection "SER" is switched to "high"
and a subsequent second "high" shift-register-clock, RCLK, an
output Q.sub.B of the multiplexer 112-2 is switched to "high." The
"high" output Q.sub.B can switch on a corresponding MOSFET of a
second cooling fan module 110-1 in FIG. 1D. The BMC 103 can then
monitor operating characteristics (e.g., speed and error message
etc.) of the first cooling fan module 110-1, and control power or
current being delivered to the first cooling fan module 110-1. The
same process can be repeated and applied to Q.sub.C to Q.sub.H, and
enables the BMC 103 to monitor and control corresponding cooling
fan modules 110-2 to 110-7, respectively.
[0046] As illustrated in FIG. 1E, the BMC 103 is enabled to monitor
and control 8 cooling fan modules within 8 clock cycles of the
shift-register-clock, RCLK. As a result, BMC or RMC in the server
system 100A can effectively monitor and control cooling modules 110
by implementing the present disclosure.
[0047] Although only certain components are shown within the
exemplary systems 100A-100D in FIGS. 1A-1D, respectively, various
types of electronic or computing components that are capable of
processing or storing data, receiving or transmitting signals, or
providing fresh air to downstream components, can also be included
in the exemplary systems 100A-100D. Further, the electronic or
computing components in the exemplary systems 100A-100D can be
configured to execute various types of application, and/or can use
various types of operating systems. These operating systems can
include, but are not limited to, Android, Berkeley Software
Distribution (BSD), iPhone OS (iOS), Linux, OS X, Unix-like
Real-time Operating System (e.g., QNX), Microsoft Windows, Window
Phone, and IBM z/OS.
[0048] Depending on the desired implementation for the exemplary
systems 100A-100D, a variety of networking and messaging protocols
can be used, including but not limited to TCP/IP, open systems
interconnection (OSI), file transfer protocol (FTP), universal plug
and play (UpnP), network file system (NFS), common internet file
system (CIFS), AppleTalk etc. As would be appreciated by those
skilled in the art, the exemplary systems 100A-100D illustrated in
FIGS. 1A-1D, respectively, are used for purposes of explanation.
Therefore, a network system can be implemented with many
variations, as appropriate, yet still provide a configuration of
network platform in accordance with various examples of the present
disclosure.
[0049] In exemplary configurations of FIGS. 1A-1D, respectively,
the exemplary systems 100A-100D can also include one or more
wireless components operable to communicate with one or more
electronic devices within a computing range of the particular
wireless channel. The wireless channel can be any appropriate
channel used to enable devices to communicate wirelessly, such as
Bluetooth, cellular, NFC, or Wi-Fi channels. It should be
understood that the device can have one or more conventional wired
communications connections, as known in the art. Various other
elements and/or combinations are possible as well within the scope
of various examples.
[0050] The above discussion is meant to be illustrative of the
principles and various examples of the present disclosure. Numerous
variations and modifications will become apparent once the above
disclosure is fully appreciated.
[0051] FIG. 2 is an exemplary method 200 for effectively
controlling cooling fan modules of a server system in accordance
with an implementation of the present disclosure. It should be
understood that the exemplary method 200 is presented solely for
illustrative purposes, and that in other methods in accordance with
the present disclosure can include additional, fewer, or
alternative steps performed in similar or alternative orders, or in
parallel. The exemplary method 200 starts at step 202 by powering
on the server system.
[0052] At step 204, a management controller of the server system
can select a specific cooling fan module from a plurality of
cooling fan modules of the server system via a multiplex switch of
the server system, as illustrated in FIGS. 1A-1D. In some examples,
the management controller can select the specific cooling fan
module via a fan selection link, and the multiplex switch. The
multiplex switch is connected to the plurality of cooling fan
modules.
[0053] At step 206, the management controller can connect to the
specific cooling fan module via the multiplex switch, as
illustrated in FIGS. 1A-1D. In some examples, the multiplex switch
includes a first selection logic chip, a second selection logic
chip, a first multiplexer and a second multiplexer. The first and
second selection logic chips are connected to the management
controller via the fan selection link, the first multiplexer is
connected to the management controller via the fan monitoring link,
and the second multiplexer is connected to the management
controller via the fan power control link.
[0054] In some examples, the multiplex switch can receive serial
inputs from the management controller and provide
parallel-output-shift control of the plurality of cooling fan
modules. For example, the multiplex switch can enable the
management controller to select and connect to a specific cooling
fan within a predetermined range of time.
[0055] In some implementations, the multiplex switch comprises a
plurality of MOSFETs. Each of the plurality of MOSFETs is connected
to a corresponding one of the plurality of cooling fan modules. The
management controller can select a specific cooling fan module by
switching on a corresponding MOSFET of the specific cooling fan
module, via the fan selection link. Once the corresponding MOSFET
is switched on, the management controller can connect to the
specific cooling fan module.
[0056] At step 208, the management controller can monitor operating
characteristics (e.g., speed and error message etc.) of the
specific cooling fan module via the multiplex switch, and a fan
monitoring link, as illustrated in FIGS. 1A-1D.
[0057] At step 210, the management controller can further retrieve
operation and maintenance history of the plurality of cooling fan
modules on the server system. At Step 212, the management
controller can control power or current being delivered to the
specific cooling fan module based upon operating characteristics of
the specific cooling fan module, and/or the operation and
maintenance history of the specific cooling fan module.
[0058] A brief introductory description of example systems and
networks, as illustrated in FIGS. 3-4, is disclosed herein. These
variations shall be described herein as the various examples are
set forth. The present disclosure now turns to FIG. 3.
[0059] FIG. 3 illustrates an example computing system 300, in which
components of the computing system are in electrical communication
with each other using a bus 302. The system 300 includes a
processing unit (CPU or processor) 330, and the bus 302 that
couples various system components, including a system memory 304
(e.g., read only memory (ROM) 306 and random access memory (RAM)
308), to the processor 330. The system 300 can include a cache of
high-speed memory connected directly with, in close proximity to,
or integrated as part of the processor 330. The system 300 can copy
data from the system memory 304 and/or the storage device 312 to
the cache 328 for quick access by the processor 330. In this way,
the cache can provide a performance boost for processor 330 while
waiting for data. These and other modules can control or be
configured to control the processor 330 to perform various actions.
Other system memory 304 may be available for use as well. The
system memory 304 can include multiple different types of memory
with different performance characteristics. The processor 330 can
include any general purpose processor and a hardware module or
software module, such as module 1 314, module 2 316, and module 3
318 embedded in storage device 312. The hardware module or software
module is configured to control the processor 330, as well as a
special-purpose processor where software instructions are
incorporated into the actual processor design. The processor 330
may essentially be a completely self-contained computing system,
and containing multiple cores or processors, a bus, memory
controller, cache, etc. A multi-core processor may be symmetric or
asymmetric.
[0060] To enable user interaction with the computing device 300, an
input device 320 is provided as an input mechanism. The input
device 320 can comprise a microphone for speech, a touch-sensitive
screen for gesture or graphical input, keyboard, mouse, motion
input, and so forth. In some instances, multimodal systems can
enable a user to provide multiple types of input to communicate
with the system 300. In this example, an output device 322 is also
provided. The communications interface 324 can govern and manage
the user input and system output.
[0061] Storage device 312 can be a non-volatile memory to store
data that are accessible by a computer. The storage device 312 can
be magnetic cassettes, flash memory cards, solid state memory
devices, digital versatile disks, cartridges, random access
memories (RAMs) 308, read only memory (ROM) 306, and hybrids
thereof.
[0062] The controller 310 can be a specialized microcontroller or
processor on the system 300, such as a BMC (baseboard management
controller). In some cases, the controller 310 can be part of an
Intelligent Platform Management Interface (IPMI). Moreover, in some
cases, the controller 310 can be embedded on a motherboard or main
circuit board of the system 300. The controller 310 can manage the
interface between system management software and platform hardware.
The controller 310 can also communicate with various system devices
and components (internal and/or external), such as controllers or
peripheral components, as further described below.
[0063] The controller 310 can generate specific responses to
notifications, alerts, and/or events, and communicate with remote
devices or components (e.g., electronic mail message, network
message, etc.) to generate an instruction or command for automatic
hardware recovery procedures, etc. An administrator can also
remotely communicate with the controller 310 to initiate or conduct
specific hardware recovery procedures or operations, as further
described below.
[0064] The controller 310 can also include a system event log
controller and/or storage for managing and maintaining events,
alerts, and notifications received by the controller 310. For
example, the controller 310 or a system event log controller can
receive alerts or notifications from one or more devices and
components, and maintain the alerts or notifications in a system
event log storage component.
[0065] Flash memory 332 can be an electronic non-volatile computer
storage medium or chip that can be used by the system 300 for
storage and/or data transfer. The flash memory 332 can be
electrically erased and/or reprogrammed. Flash memory 332 can
include EPROM (erasable programmable read-only memory), EEPROM
(electrically erasable programmable read-only memory), ROM, NVRAM,
or CMOS (complementary metal-oxide semiconductor), for example. The
flash memory 332 can store the firmware 334 executed by the system
300, when the system 300 is first powered on, along with a set of
configurations specified for the firmware 334. The flash memory 332
can also store configurations used by the firmware 334.
[0066] The firmware 334 can include a Basic Input/Output System or
equivalents, such as an EFI (Extensible Firmware Interface) or UEFI
(Unified Extensible Firmware Interface). The firmware 334 can be
loaded and executed as a sequence program each time the system 300
is started. The firmware 334 can recognize, initialize, and test
hardware present in the system 300 based on the set of
configurations. The firmware 334 can perform a self-test, such as a
POST (Power-on-Self-Test), on the system 300. This self-test can
test functionality of various hardware components such as hard disk
drives, optical reading devices, cooling devices, memory modules,
expansion cards, and the like. The firmware 334 can address and
allocate an area in the system memory 304, ROM 306, RAM 308, and/or
storage device 312, to store an operating system (OS). The firmware
334 can load a boot loader and/or OS, and give control of the
system 300 to the OS.
[0067] The firmware 334 of the system 300 can include a firmware
configuration that defines how the firmware 334 controls various
hardware components in the system 300. The firmware configuration
can determine the order in which the various hardware components in
the system 300 are started. The firmware 334 can provide an
interface, such as an UEFI, that allows a variety of different
parameters to be set, which can be different from parameters in a
firmware default configuration. For example, a user (e.g., an
administrator) can use the firmware 334 to specify clock and bus
speeds; define what peripherals are attached to the system 300; set
monitoring of health (e.g., fan speeds and CPU temperature limits);
and/or provide a variety of other parameters that affect overall
performance and power usage of the system 300. While firmware 334
is illustrated as being stored in the flash memory 332, one of
ordinary skill in the art will readily recognize that the firmware
334 can be stored in other memory components, such as memory 304 or
ROM 306.
[0068] System 300 can include one or more sensors 326. The one or
more sensors 326 can include, for example, one or more temperature
sensors, thermal sensors, oxygen sensors, chemical sensors, noise
sensors, heat sensors, current sensors, voltage detectors, air flow
sensors, flow sensors, infrared thermometers, heat flux sensors,
thermometers, pyrometers, etc. The one or more sensors 326 can
communicate with the processor, cache 328, flash memory 332,
communications interface 324, system memory 304, ROM 306, RAM 308,
controller 310, and storage device 312, via the bus 302, for
example. The one or more sensors 326 can also communicate with
other components in the system via one or more different means,
such as inter-integrated circuit (I2C), general purpose output
(GPO), and the like. Different types of sensors (e.g., sensors 326)
on the system 300 can also report to the controller 310 on
parameters, such as cooling fan speeds, power status, operating
system (OS) status, hardware status, and so forth.
[0069] FIG. 4 illustrates an example computer system 400 having a
chipset architecture that can be used in executing the described
method(s) or operations, and in generating and displaying a
graphical user interface (GUI). Computer system 400 can include
computer hardware, software, and firmware that can be used to
implement the disclosed technology. System 400 can include a
processor 410, representative of a variety of physically and/or
logically distinct resources capable of executing software,
firmware, and hardware configured to perform identified
computations. Processor 410 can communicate with a chipset 402 that
can control input to and output from processor 410. In this
example, chipset 402 outputs information to output device 414, such
as a display, and can read and write information to storage device
416, which can include magnetic media, and solid state media, for
example. Chipset 402 can also read data from and write data to RAM
418. A bridge 404 for interfacing with a variety of user interface
components 406, can be provided for interfacing with chipset 402.
Such user interface components 406 can include a keyboard, a
microphone, touch detection and processing circuitry, a pointing
device, such as a mouse, and so on. In general, inputs to system
400 can come from any of a variety of sources, machine generated
and/or human generated.
[0070] Chipset 402 can also interface with one or more
communication interfaces 408 that can have different physical
interfaces. Such communication interfaces can include interfaces
for wired and wireless local area networks, for broadband wireless
networks, and for personal area networks. Further, the machine can
receive inputs from a user via user interface components 406 and
execute appropriate functions, such as browsing functions by
interpreting these inputs using processor 410.
[0071] Moreover, chipset 402 can also communicate with firmware
412, which can be executed by the computer system 400 when powering
on. The firmware 412 can recognize, initialize, and test hardware
present in the computer system 400 based on a set of firmware
configurations. The firmware 412 can perform a self-test, such as a
POST, on the system 400. The self-test can test the functionality
of the various hardware components 402-418. The firmware 412 can
address and allocate an area in the memory 418 to store an OS. The
firmware 412 can load a boot loader and/or OS, and give control of
the system 400 to the OS. In some cases, the firmware 412 can
communicate with the hardware components 402-410 and 414-418. Here,
the firmware 412 can communicate with the hardware components
402-410 and 414-418 through the chipset 402, and/or through one or
more other components. In some cases, the firmware 412 can
communicate directly with the hardware components 402-410 and
414-418.
[0072] It can be appreciated that example systems 300 and 400 can
have more than one processor (e.g., 330, 410), or be part of a
group or cluster of computing devices networked together to provide
greater processing capability.
[0073] For clarity of explanation, in some instances, the present
disclosure may be presented as including individual functional
blocks including functional blocks, including devices, device
components, steps or routines in a method embodied in software, or
combinations of hardware and software.
[0074] In some embodiments, the computer-readable storage devices,
mediums, and memories can include a cable or wireless signal
containing a bit stream and the like. However, when mentioned,
non-transitory computer-readable storage media expressly exclude
media such as energy, carrier signals, electromagnetic waves, and
signals per se.
[0075] Methods according to the above-described examples can be
implemented using computer-executable instructions that are stored
or otherwise available from computer readable media. Such
instructions can include, for example, instructions and data which
cause or otherwise configure a general purpose computer, special
purpose computer, or special purpose processing device to perform a
certain function or group of functions. Portions of computer
resources used, can be accessible over a network. The computer
executable instructions may be, for example, binaries and
intermediate format instructions, such as assembly language,
firmware, or source code.
[0076] Devices implementing methods according to these disclosures
can include hardware, firmware and/or software, and can take any of
a variety of form factors. Typical examples of such form factors
include laptops, smart phones, small form factor personal
computers, personal digital assistants, rack-mount devices,
standalone devices, and so on. Functionality described herein also
can be embodied in peripherals or add-in cards. Such functionality
can also be implemented on a circuit board among different chips,
or different processes executing in a single device, by way of
further example.
[0077] The various examples can be further implemented in a wide
variety of operating environments, which in some cases can include
one or more server computers, user computers or computing devices
which can be used to operate any of a number of applications. User
or client devices can include any of a number of general purpose
personal computers, such as desktop or laptop computers running a
standard operating system, as well as cellular, wireless, and
handheld devices running mobile software, and capable of supporting
a number of networking and messaging protocols. Such a system can
also include a number of workstations running any of a variety of
commercially-available operating systems, and other known
applications for purposes such as development and database
management. These devices can also include other electronic
devices, such as dummy terminals, thin-clients, gaming systems, and
other devices capable of communicating via a network.
[0078] To the extent examples, or portions thereof, are implemented
in hardware, the present disclosure can be implemented with any, or
a combination of, the following technologies: a discrete logic
circuit(s) having logic gates for implementing logic functions upon
data signals; an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC)
having appropriate combinational logic gates; programmable hardware
such as a programmable gate array(s) (PGA); and/or a field
programmable gate array (FPGA); etc.
[0079] Most examples utilize at least one network that would be
familiar to those skilled in the art for supporting communications
using any of a variety of commercially-available protocols, such as
TCP/IP, OSI, FTP, UPnP, NFS, CIFS, AppleTalk etc. The network can
be, for example, a local area network, a wide-area network, a
virtual private network, the Internet, an intranet, an extranet, a
public switched telephone network, an infrared network, a wireless
network, and any combination thereof.
[0080] Devices implementing methods, according to these
technologies, can include hardware, firmware and/or software, and
can take any of a variety of form factors. Typical examples of such
form factors include server computers, laptops, smart phones, small
form factor personal computers, personal digital assistants, and so
on. Functionality described herein also can be embodied in
peripherals or add-in cards. Such functionality can also be
implemented on a circuit board among different chips, or different
processes executing in a single device, by way of further
example.
[0081] In examples that utilize a Web server, the Web server can
run any variety of server or mid-tier applications, including HTTP
servers, FTP servers, CGI servers, data servers, Java servers, and
business application servers. In response to requests from user
devices, the Web server(s) can also be capable of executing
programs or scripts. For example, the Web server can execute one or
more Web applications, which can be implemented as one or more
scripts or programs written in any programming language, such as
Java.RTM., C, C# or C++ or any scripting language, such as Perl,
Python or TCL, as well as combinations thereof. The Web server(s)
can also encompass database servers, including those commercially
available on the open market.
[0082] The server system can include a variety of data stores and
other memory and storage media, as discussed above. These can
reside in a variety of locations, such as on a storage medium local
to (and/or resident in) one or more of the computers, or remote
from any or all of the computers across the network. In a
particular set of examples, the information can reside in a
storage-area network (SAN) familiar to those skilled in the art.
Similarly, any necessary files for performing the functions
attributed to the computers, servers, or other network devices can
be stored locally and/or remotely, as appropriate. Where a system
includes computerized devices, each such device can include
hardware elements that can be electrically coupled via a bus, the
elements including, for example, at least one central processing
unit (CPU), at least one input device (e.g., a mouse, keyboard,
controller, touch-sensitive display element or keypad), and at
least one output device (e.g., a display device, printer or
speaker). Such a system can also include one or more storage
devices, such as disk drives, optical storage devices, and
solid-state storage devices such as random access memory (RAM) or
read-only memory (ROM), as well as removable media devices, memory
cards, flash cards, etc.
[0083] Storage media and computer readable media for containing
code, or portions of code, can include any appropriate media known
or used in the art, including storage media and computing media.
The storage media and computing media can include, but are not
limited to, removable and non-removable media for storage and/or
transmission of data or information. The removable and
non-removable media comprise RAM, ROM, EPROM, EEPROM, flash memory
or other memory technology, CD-ROM, digital versatile disk (DVD) or
other optical storage, magnetic cassettes, magnetic tape, magnetic
disk storage, or other magnetic storage devices that can be used to
store the desired information and that can be accessed by a system
device. The data or information can include computer readable
instructions, data structures, program modules, or other data.
Based on the technology and teachings provided herein, a person of
ordinary skill in the art will appreciate other ways and/or methods
to implement the various aspects of the present disclosure.
[0084] The specification and drawings are, accordingly, to be
regarded in an illustrative rather than a restrictive sense. It
will, however, be evident that various modifications and changes
can be made thereunto without departing from the broader spirit and
scope of the patent application, as set forth in the claims.
* * * * *